be a little boulder
by isadorator
Summary: Connie and Steven indulge in some navel-gazing, both figuratively and literally.


_I was working on another SU fic and realized that while this story was on my writing tumblr and AO3, I hadn't transferred it here yet. Whoops._

 _Anyway, it's set somewhere between_ The Test _and_ Political Power _. This fic falls in the categories of 'helps me deal with personal junk because this show makes me Feel Things™', 'expanded headcanon', and 'lol rock puns'. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"This is it, Connie." Steven lifted up two pink packages, stars in his eyes. "The last two Cookie Cats in the _whole world_."

"That's… something, Steven," said Connie, eyeing the treats skeptically. They were sitting on the beach in front of Steven's place, watching Lion bat dandelion seeds floating on the sea breeze.

"Connie," said Steven in his most serious voice. "You're my bestest friend -"

Connie started, a blush rising up in her cheeks. "Oh, well, I, um -"

"- after Lion," he finished.

"What?!"

Lion gave a loud yawn before plopping on the sand for a nap. Connie crossed her arms and huffed, the heat in her cheeks growing worse.

"But Lion has terrible taste in snacks, so I'm giving this to you instead." Steven reverently held out a Cookie Cat. Connie took it from him gingerly, biting the inside of her cheek in anxiety.

"I don't know… I'm not supposed to eat chemically processed foods…"

Steven's eyes went wide, becoming even more starry and sparkly. "Pleeeeeeeeease?" he begged. Connie folded quickly and giggled.

"Well, if you insist," said Connie. They unwrapped the Cookie Cats at the same time. Connie watched Steven take a huge bite, clearly enjoying the taste of the ice cream sandwich, before having a small taste of her own. She hummed in appreciation before swallowing. "Wow Steven, this is good!"

"I know, right?" Steven replied cheerfully. He finished his snack and sighed happily, leaning back and patting his full stomach. "You'll be missed Cookie Cat."

Connie finished her sandwich as well, absently licking her fingers. "It's too bad we can't watch the season finale of _Under the Knife_ today. My mom still won't let me watch it at home and you're…"

"Banned from watching TV for a _thousand_ years, yeah, yeah." Steven fell back all the way, crossing his hands behind his head so he could watch the clouds comfortably. "At least it's nice outside today."

Connie lay down beside him, trying to see the way Steven did. She could hear the waves lapping against the shore and seagulls crying out to each other. The fine sand stuck to her hair and skin, but it was warm and soft underneath her body. Connie could taste the saltwater in the air with every breath and the sky was so blue above her. Clouds drifted slowly past the sun, leaving the pair in and out of its shadows. The day stretched before her, long and lazy and wonderful.

"Have you talked them about that?" Connie found herself asking. "I mean, a thousand years is pretty… harsh."

"Weeeeellllllllllllll, it's not like I watched that much TV anyway." Steven didn't look at her, concentrating firmly on the sky. "Hey, do you think that cloud looks like Onion?"

"Steven," Connie said, turning to face him.

Steven groaned and covered his face, rolling side-to-side on the sand before stretching out like a starfish. "No, I haven't," he admitted reluctantly.

"Steven, they're gems, not humans. You have to let them know if there's something they don't understand about us."

"They understand me fine."

Connie sat up, suddenly full of anger and worry. " _Steven!_ "

"I'm not human either, Connie!" Steven burst out, sitting up as well. "I'm both! I'm the only one who's both! So! So…"

Connie felt cold, the warmth of the day escaping from the churning of her stomach. They stared at each other until Steven bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you," he said. The fear that had seized Connie's heart loosened and she began to relax.

"I'm sorry, too. I guess I'm just worried." She lay back on the sand again, taking comfort in its sun-soaked heat and looking at the sky again. After a beat, Steven lay down to join her. "After we became friends, I did some research on gems and their culture and history, stuff like that. There's not a lot, but… they're supposed to be able to live a really, really, _really_ long time, right?"

"Mmm, yeah."

"Do… they know you can't live that long?"

Steven went quiet. Connie turned her head, almost afraid of what she would see. But Steven had only lifted up the edge of his shirt, looking at the gem in his belly.

"How do you know I can't?" he finally asked. Connie didn't know how to answer, so Steven talked faster, as if trying to get it all out before losing his nerve. "I mean, I'm half human, but I'm half gem too. And I'm the first one ever, so no one really knows what will happen with me. I can change my age -"

"You can change your _age_?" interrupted Connie, astounded.

"Kinda?" Steven said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "I can't really control it. The first time it happened, I almost died because I got too old. And I don't…" Steven sighed heavily. "The gems were totally freaking out back then. They're always worrying about me, always asking themselves if they're doing what's best for me. If I talk to them about the TV thing…"

"They'll worry even more," Connie finished. Steven nodded enthusiastically.

"Right! They get really sad about Mom sometimes and I don't want them to get sad about me too, for something that _might_ happen. They're always protecting me, so the least I can do is protect them from that."

"Is it really protecting them, though?" Connie asked, tapping her finger in thought. "I mean, shouldn't you be worrying about this more? About whether or not you can live as long as the other gems?"

"Maaaaybeeeeee…" Steven said slowly. "But, I'm just a kid right now. I have to learn how to control my powers first before trying to do wacky stuff like be young forever. Until then, none of us can really do anything about it, so why worry?"

"I guess you're right." Connie lifted a hand to block the sunlight currently shining on her face, The rays parted between her fingers' shadows. "It kinda makes me wonder if there are other half gems out there. Not half human, I mean some other alien species."

"Like… half gem, half mutant ninja space frog?"

"Steven, that's gross!" Connie laughed and shoved him lightly. Steven sat up and spread out his arms, an excited grin brightening his face.

"I can see it now. Half gems all across the galaxy, banding together in the fight against bad guys! We'll go on cool adventures and form a new team! Called the uh… _Super_ …"

"Pebbles?" Connie suggested.

In the ensuing chase, Connie learned that Steven could run pretty fast in those sandals.


End file.
